Mark Wood does not fit the proptype of a modern England bowler. He is skinny, barely 6ft tall and does not gain excessive bounce. But a strong showing for Durham in 2013 was enough to win recognition on the England Lions tour to Sri Lanka. Sadly for him, it lasted only one match before he returned home with a side injury.

Like Stephen Harmison, Wood hails from Ashington in Northumberland and bowls at pace, although not as fast as Harmison, nor from the same height. No matter, Harmison was his idol, and the former England quick also encouraged him to go to Australia at 18 to improve his game - not bad advice from a man who suffered bouts of homesickness away from the Northumberland coast.

Where Harmison stands 6ft 4ins tall, Wood is a level 6ft and delivers a whippier, skiddier ball. In his first five first-class appearances, he took 19 wickets at 21.63, including a match-winning 5 for 78 against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge in August 2012, which would have been the headline performance of the match had Graham Onions not taken 9 for 67 in the first innings.

Paul Collingwood's appetite for promoting and encouraging Durham's younger crop of players worked in his favour in 2013. He had a breakthrough summer, claiming 27 first-class wickets at 24.07 to help Durham to the Championship title and promised to become another representative in Durham's increasingly impressive collection of homegrown pace bowlers.

Wood played minor counties cricket for Northumberland from 2008 to 2010 before making his first-class debut for Durham against Durham MCCU in April 2011. He made his List A debut against Northamptonshire in Clydesdale Bank 40 the following month and his first County Championship appearance against Nottinghamshire in August of the same year.
ESPNcricinfo staff